Method
1. Season the meat in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, pepper and corn flour. Mix well. Leave for at least 30 mins. Using corn flour or corn starch is a technique that helps the meat stay tender and also helps with flavour retention of the meat you are marinating.

2. In a small bowl, mix the rest of the fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce mix well.

3. In a large wok or frying pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium high heat. When oil is heated (Its starts to shimmer and moves around the pan more easily). Add the chicken and fry until the chicken starts to brown a little on the outside on all sides (About 8-10 mins). Turn off the heat. Remove the chicken and set aside.

Note: If you left the skin on the chicken, its a good idea to ensure the skin is rendered for additional flavour. Un-rendered poultry skin can be a put off, at least to me.

4. There should be some oil left from frying the chicken. (If you left the skin on, there will probably more oil left in the pan than you need. You can mop some of it with a paper towel if you have to.) Turn the heat back up to medium. When oil is heated throw in the onions, garlic, chillies and lime leaves. Fry for about 4-6 minutes, sweating the onions and garlic a little, till they just start to brown and then Add all of the sauce mix. Mix well.

5. Add the chicken back in next. Stir fry for another about 5-8 minutes then add all the basil leaves and turn off the heat. Mix well, until the basil leaves are wilted.

6. Serve with steamed rice and a fried egg.

Note: For added authenticity, the Thai street style fried egg is not the same as your "non-stick pan" sunny side up. The That street one actually use quite a bit of cooking oil. Almost shallow frying the egg till you get crispy edges and the yolk remaining runny.

Sunday, November 6, 2016

A really great way to get maximum enjoyment from a cheaper cut of meat. The wine and stock keep the meat tender and moist. I mean really moist. I find serving this with squash and carrots make for a great meal.

This is similar to my other pork belly recipe, but this has Crackling, how can you go wrong with proper crackling?

1. Dry the skin of the pork with a paper towel, then score the skin with a 1.5cm (does not have to be exact) checkered pattern(it will help with portions later) with a very sharp blade (Like a Stanley knife). Season thoroughly with salt and pepper, using your fingers to rub in the salt and pepper. Set the pork aside.

2. If your roasting tray can go on the stove, heat some cooking oil over a medium heat. When the oil is heated, lightly brown the carrots, chilli flakes, onions and garlic.

2b. Alternative method is to use a saute pan and transfer the contents to the roasting tray after browning. If using a pan, deglaze the pan with some stock to get all the tasty browned bits off the pan and into the tray.

3. Add the thyme to the onion and garlic mix. Place the pork - (skin side up) on top of the onions and garlic. Pour in all the wine. Then pour in just enough chicken stock to partially cover the pork. Do not let the liquid get high enough to touch the skin. Pouring just enough for the liquid level to touch the fat below the skin. (You can use the garlic/onions to prop up the pork before adding the liquid)

4. Cook in the oven for 2.5 hours or until you get the crackle you want. (Don't panic if some of the edges get burnt, you can scrape them of later.)

5. Let the pork rest for about 10 mins before carving. Use a serrated knife. Serve with your favourite grilled veg and some of the braising liquid.

6. Optional step - make a roux, about 1 tablespoon worth and mix it with the strained braising liquid for a great sauce!

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

One of my favourite dishes when I was posted to Thailand almost 20 years ago. Colleagues and I would look out for stalls selling this dish. Also a very common dish over there. I find myself cooking this whenever really fresh Thai Basil pops up at the local market.My rendition of this dish includes dark soy sauce and sesame oil, as I feel it adds some punch to the dish. The traditional recipe probably would not have used soy and sesame oil. Also to note, purists would not use anything other than fish sauce for salinity. Ingredients500g minced or thinly sliced beef. (Can be substituted with chicken or pork)1 small yellow onion - sliced8 garlic cloves - roughly chopped or mincedHandful of Thai basil- leaves only (use continental basil if you cannot find Thai ones.)2 Kaffir Lime leaves4-8 bird's eye chillies (Or however much you want.) - sliced4 tablespoons fish sauce2 tablespoons dark soy sauce2 teaspoons sugarDrizzle of sesame oil.Pepper1 egg per person - cooked sunny side upMethod1. Season the meat in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and pepper. Mix well. 2. In a small bowl, mix the rest of the fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce and a drizzle of sesame oil. Mix well.3. In a large wok or frying pan, heat about 2-3 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium high heat. When oil is heated (Its starts to shimmer and moves around the pan more easily) throw in the onions and garlic. Fry for about 2-3 minutes, sweating the onions and garlic a little.4. Add the meat next. While frying, use the spatula to break up the meat a much as you can. Fry for about 5-8 minutes, until the meat is about halfway cooked through.5. Add in the chillies, lime leaves and the sauce mix. Mix well. Continue to fry until meat is cooked through. About another 7-10 mins or so. Turn off the heat and add in the basil leaves, mix well until wilted. 6. Serve with steamed rice and a fried egg. Enjoy!